Ceiling lamp adapter



Sept. 21, 1954 G. B. BENANDER CEILING LAMP ADAPTER Filed June 24, 1952 z 3 u \\\v 6 z, ,../.../-i W M/FM\\\\\M\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\H z m i M] J1 u a 1 5. Z a w 5 W .m m U Inventor George B. Benander" By c7 His Attorney Patented Sept. 21 1954 CEILING LAMP ADAPTER George B. Benander, Oaklawn, R. I., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 24, 1952, Serial No. 295,187

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an adapter for sockets and in particular to a socket adapter which serves the dual function of providing, simultaneously, support for lamp bulbs and for a reflector.

There are many instances wherein a lamp socket having its axis perpendicular to a ceiling or a wall should, in the interest of good lighting practice as well as for artistic reasons, be covered with a reflector or light diffusing globe. To accomplish this end, it would be necessary, usually, to remove the lamp socket and install a yoke or fixture support before a globe or reflector could be suspended. Obviously, this is a relatively expensive operation requiring the services of skilled electricians.

It is an object of this invention to provide a socket adapter serving the dual function of supporting lamp bulbs and a decorative reflector.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an adapter for a socket whereby, without altering the socket, my new adapter can be positioned therein to support both a lamp bulb and a globe or reflector.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved inexpensive and unique adapter for a lamp socket.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent and the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front eletact element which may be in the form of a screw shell adapted to fit into a conventional lamp socket and having a housing containing strip metal contacts therein and having further both a plurality of lamp receiving sockets and a receptacle for receiving a stud or nipple for supporting a light diffusing globe, a shade or reflector.

Referring to the drawing, and in particular to Fig. 1, my improved adapter I is shown inserted into a lamp socket 2. A reflector plate 3 is positioned to overlie the lamp socket 2 and it, in turn, has a grommet or dust sealing ring 4. A light diffusing element or globe 5 is shown secured by means of a stud 6 and a nut 1 to my adapter I. A pair of lamp bulbs 8 are shown inserted into the adapter to provide illumination through the globe 5.

Referring now to Fig. 2, my improved adapter I is shown comprising a body portion 9 having a separable bottom portion l0, means including rivets I! for holding the body portion and the oottom portion together, a male screw base 12 for insertion into a lamp socket, and electrical contact strips or elements [3, l4 and I5 for inter connecting a pair of auxiliary lamp sockets [6, ll (see Fig. 4) with the screw base l2. The adapter is furthe provided with a threaded ferrule l8 preferably aligned coaxially with the longitudinal geometric axis of the adapter.

The insulating body portion or housing 9 is preferably molded from one of the urea or phenolic resins or other suitable material approved for such use and it is hollow to provide a cylindrical wal1 having in the illustrated embodiment a transverse element or portion is at its lower end to give the housing a T shape. The bottom portion i0 is separable from the transverse element [9 along a diametral plane, represented in Fig. 2 by the line b-b. The bottom portion ID, likewise, is preferably made of one of the phenolic or urea resins and it is hollowed out to define in combination with the transverse element I9 the pair of threaded auxiliary sockets l6, ll, each adapted to receive the threaded base of an incandescent lamp.

The electrical contacts [3, l4 and i5 are strips of copper or other suitable electrical conducting material which are assembled in a unique manner on the body portion 9 of the adapter; that is, the upper end of each of these strips [3, I l and I5 is inserted through apertures 20, 2|, 22 respectively in the upper portion of the body 9. When one of the outer strips is inserted through its respective aperturefor example, the strip It is inserted through aperture 2 l-its end (in this case end 23 of strip it) is then bent over in a U-shape to lie against the side wall of. the body portion 9. The second outer contact l5, like i4, is connected in a similar manner to the upper end of the body The outer contact elements It and [5 are deflected at their lower end and in the illustrated embodiment they are given a curved shape 25, adapting them to lie one, respectively, along the periphery of each of the lamp sockets l6 and i1, and positioned to make contact with the screw shell of a lamp inserted therein. The outer extremities of these strips are constructed to provide self support when the strip coacts with the body portion; that is, the outer end of each strip is deformed as at 24a to fit into an aperture 24 located in the outer edge of the transverse portion IQ of the housing 9. The strips [4 and I5 are identical and interchangeable and: accordingly another aperture (not shown) is provided on the opposite end of the transverse element l9 to receive the contact strip I5.

As previously mentioned, the socket portions 16 and I! within the T-shaped element l9 are threaded to be engageable with the base of an electric lamp bulb. The threads are slotted, however, to receive the. curved portion 25 of the strips in such a manner that the strips will be positioned to make electrical contact with the periphery of. the threads of a lamp bulb base. To provide suitable central support for the curved portion 25, a tongue 26 is formed at some suitable point along the edge of the strip for insertion into a corresponding nest 21 in therthreaded portion of the sockets l5 and 11.

It is obvious that for suitable. electrical energization, the central contact strip 13 must be adapted to engage the central or bottom contact on the base of a lamp bulb. This result is accomplished in the illustrated embodiment by a Z- shaped element 28 l ing in a plane which. is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the strip G3. The Z-shaped element 28 which is connected, as by a rivet 23a, to the longitudinal, strip I3 is so positioned in the transverse element l9 that each of its ends 29 and 30 respectively is positioned resiliently to engage the base or bottom contact of one of the lamp bulbs 8.

To provide a resilient pressure for thecontact ends 29, 30, the transverse element l9 has a pair of pins 31, 32 molded or otherwise positioned therein and located away from an adjacent wall so that the Z-shaped strip 28 will lie in the channel formed by a pin and the contiguous wall. This wall is sloped as at 33, 34 to direct the free or contact end of the Z strip toward the open end of the socket in which it is located. Through this unique structure, a resilient force is imparted to the contact ends 29, 30 of the Z.-shaped element 28 so that when a lamp bulb is screwed into a socket, for example, if the lamp bulb B is screwed into socket ll, its bottom contact presses resiliently against the end 30 of the Z-shaped element 28.

It is obvious that electrical contact provided by the structure of the contact ends 29, 3B of the Z-shaped strip in combination with the curved portions 25 of the contact strips [4, I5 is sufficient to energize any lamp socket or socket adapter, and accordingly, the structure which has been described is not limited particularly to its association with my improved ceiling lamp adapter, but may be used in other devices.

The bottom portion ID of the adapter, in addition to completing the lower halves of sockets l6 and I1, is further provided with a threaded ferrule l8 which is screwed, riveted or otherwise secured to the bottom portion [0. The particular feature of the threaded. ferrule 18 is that a threaded pipe, used for fixtures, can be inserted into the ferrule IB to extend away therefrom as shown in Fig. 1. Pipe 6 is threaded at both ends whereby its end opposite ferrule l8 can accommodate a nut 1 that will hold a globe light diffuser or reflector 5 or other device in a suitable position on the fixture I. This structure provides an inexpensive method of converting an ordinary lamp socket to a use providing an improved light distribution and a more artistic appearance.

With respect to the upper end of the body portion 9 and particularly with respect to the bent over portions of the electrical contacts l3, l4 and [5, the turned-down members 23 of the outer elements are held in place against the threaded Y mal'e screw shell cap of screw base 12 by sliding the cap over the end of the housing 9 to insure a sturdy relationship; the male screw shell cap is then suitably secured to the base 9. For example, it may be screwed or spun to the housing 9 or it may be spot welded to the contacts 54, I5.

Housing 9' and the bottom element, lb: of the adapter are then assembled and held together by rivets I l or other suitable securing means to providea rigid assembly.

It is obvious that modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art and it is desired to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but rather is it intended to cover all modificationsv which are within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A socket adapter comprising ahollow T- shaped insulating housing having a cylindrical shaft with a transverse element integrally con nected thereto, and a complementary bottom member engageable with said transverse element to define in cooperation therewith a plurality of interconnected lamp receiving sockets located side by side but extending in opposite directions, said housing having a male screw base positioned at one end to engage an electric socket, electrical conductor means interconnecting said male screw base and said sockets, said electrical conductor means comprising a plurality of electrical. conducting strips with a first one of said strips having a portion positioned for engagement with the center element of said male screw base for establishing a center electric contact for said adapter, the others of said strips having portions engageable with the periphery of said male screw base to establish a peripheral electric contact for said adapter, said first strip having a transverse Z- shaped strip connected thereto to provide center contact for said lamp receiving sockets, said transverse element having pins positioned therein and spaced from a contiguous wall thereof to define in combination therewith a channel for receiving one leg of said Z-shaped element, said contiguous wall being shaped to coact with said pin to direct a free or contact end of said Z- shaped element outwardly to engage the center contact of a lamp when inserted into one of said adapter sockets, said other strips further having extension strips electrically connected thereto and lying in the peripher of said lamp receiving sockets to provide peripheral contact therefor, the free ends of said extension strips having hookshaped portions engageable with complementary nests in said transverse element thereby to position securely said extension strips,

2. A socket adapter comprising an elongated recessed insulating housing, a male screw base positionedv at one end of the housing and adapted to engage an electric socket, a pair of threaded lamp receiving sockets integral with the housing and positioned at its other end in side by side relation and facing in opposite, substantially parallel directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing, and interconnected contact means for said screw base and sockets, said contact means comprising a first contact strip having a portion extending substantially along the longitudinal axis of the housing with a free end extending through said base and terminating in a transverse portion to form a center contact for said base, the opposite end of said first contact strip portion having secured thereto a transversely extending Z-shaped strip with ends positioned respectively in said sockets to form center contacts therein, means integral with said housing for engaging said Z-shapecl strip for tensioning the same to urge the contact ends thereof toward said socket openings, a screw shell secured to said base, and a pair of similar second contact strips extending along the sides of the housing recess and each secured at one end in contact with said screw shell, the other end of each of said second contact strips being positioned along the periphery of said sockets respectively to form side contacts therefor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,333,182 Minor et a1 Mar. 9, 1920 1,361,461 Herskovitz Dec. 7, 1920 1,478,119 Herskovitz Dec. 18, 1923 1,572,906 Strongson Feb. 16, 1926 1,857,178 Benander May 10, 1932 1,875,270 Slade Aug. 30, 1932 

